Last Updated on January 16, 2026 3:10 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
AMN
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged the Centre to impose a 100 percent import duty on apples to protect the interests of apple growers in the state. During a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi yesterday, he apprised her of the heavy losses being suffered by apple growers due to the rising import of foreign apples.
The Chief Minister demanded that apples be included in a special category to safeguard the interests of nearly 2.5 lakh apple growers in the state and to provide protection to local farmers from international competition. He said that apple production generates annual revenue of about 4,500 crore rupee, accounting nearly 80 percent of the state’s total fruit production.
Expressing concern over the Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand, the Chief Minister said that apple imports from the country have increased two-and-a-half times over the past decade. He pointed out that the 25 percent duty concession on New Zealand apples from April to August has led to a fall in prices of Himachal apples stored in cold storages, severely affecting the off-season trade.
The Chief Minister also urged the Centre to create a separate Green Fund for hill states with a provision of 50,000 crore rupees. He also asked for redefining the parameters of the Disaster Risk Index developed by the 15th Finance Commission and demanded a separate DRI and dedicated allocation for Himachal Pradesh.
During the meeting, he also requested Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Jagat Prakash Nadda, to take up issues related to the state’s projects and to support Himachal’s interests. He sought the Centre’s cooperation for projects related to the development of health infrastructure, including support under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Mr. Nadda assured Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of all possible